Fitness Procrastination Wins Again, 5 Weeks and 40 Pounds to Go

It was my goal to be able to dress up as a superhero by this Halloween using my own body to provide the cool muscular appearance. But alas, fitness procrastination wins again. While I might not be able to look amazing after lathering myself up with liquid latex, that’s not going to stop me from at least trying to hit my goal. But is it worth the effort? Yes.

Missing the Mark, But Learning from the Attempt

I know that I am not going to lose 40 pounds inside of five weeks. That’s just under 10 pounds every seven days, which is not realistic while maintaining health. Because the average human can lose about three pounds per week in a healthy manner, I’m still looking at dropping another 15 by Halloween.

In reality, I haven’t weighed under 215 in more than a decade. Which means if I can maintain a good routine for the next five weeks, I’ll still look better than I have in a long, long time. And that’s one of the keys to keeping your mindset when fitness procrastination beats you down.

Sure, the end goal would be nice – but being realistic with yourself is vital. Otherwise, you could become frustrated and upset by not meeting your end results. Yes, I’m disappointed with myself this summer…but I’m not going to let that throw a wrench into my progress.

Learning from Past Mistakes

I believe that a true failure is a mistake of which you don’t learn anything. If you take steps to prevent the same mistake from happening again and improve yourself, is that truly a failure? No. You discover a new way that it doesn’t work. For example, Thomas Edison discovered 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb. It’s still a win if you think about it.

Fitness procrastination is something I’ve struggled with for a couple of years. I keep putting things off tomorrow that I could have easily done today. However, I am getting better at maintaining a good routine throughout the workweek.

The trick is to keep yourself focused and motivated. With all the free tools that are at your disposal, you’re literally the only thing holding yourself back. In case you’re wondering, I am definitely pointing at myself here.

Trial and Error

So, I have a pretty good idea about what not to do first thing in the morning. And it all starts with having a good night’s rest…or at least getting to bed at a reasonable time. The days I go to bed before 10:30 and get up at 6:00 lead to some of my most productive days.

Another thing I need to watch is late-night munching. This has been a bit of problem as of late. Since moving back to Colorado, I am closer to stores loaded with cakes, cookies and ice cream. Now, these are OK to have as long as you’re smart about it. Scooping a giant bowl of chocolate peanut butter ice cream at 9:45pm is not the smart way to do it.

This last week, I did fairly well battling fitness procrastination. I kept a schedule of exercise, which worked out exceptionally well for me, and kept most of my eating to proper portion sizes. With how good I feel for last week, I am fairly confident I’ll be secure in the 220s by this Friday.

Adjusting Goals

Before leaving Los Angeles back in May, I set my step goal for Fitbit at 4,500 steps. This is because I am a desk jockey and don’t really get a lot of walking in throughout the day. Now that I have a nice office space next to a great area for walking, I take my brakes outside of my door and have increased the goal to 8,200.

However, I think I’ll need to start focusing on my calorie burn goal instead. Walking simply isn’t going to be enough. Even with my daily exercise routines, I still need a bit of activity to meet the 3,501 calories-burnt goal that is set on Fitbit.

I am working on buying a new Xbox so I can start playing the Kinect again. I was ripping through calories pretty quick while being entertained. I mostly miss playing tennis and Avengers: Battle for Earth.

One thing I do need to start paying closer attention to is my eating goal. I set my net calories in MyFitnessPal at 1,000. This is kind of low, but I am able to sustain myself as long as I pay attention. Last week I went into mild hypoglycemic shock because I burnt way too much and by blood sugar levels were low.

This means I need to snack on something to keep myself regulated.

Getting to the Gym

I pay for a membership to Anytime Fitness. When I signed up, I was close to one. Now, I am a good five miles away and I don’t have a vehicle. I wouldn’t mind walking or biking the distance. The problem is that I don’t have time to make that round-trip travel.

My friend is going to start taking me with her on Saturdays, which will work out nicely. I still feel odd paying $45 per month for something I can only use four times a month. I could Uber there, but then I am spending even more money.

Now, I just need to get into a groove of going every Saturday.

Being Impressed with Progress

Perhaps one of the best ways for me to avoid fitness procrastination is by marveling at my own progress. Even though the weight hasn’t been dropping like I want, the muscle development is pretty shocking. For example, my legs and arms have never been this defined.

This is one of the biggest reasons why I like trying to break personal records. Even if you’re not losing weight according to the scale, setting and beating records gives you a visual of your actual physical progress.

Because there are so many things that cause weight to fluctuate, keeping track of personal stats is a good way to inspire yourself and maintain motivation.

Getting Around Fitness Procrastination

So, I am fairly confident that I won’t make my goal of 180 pounds by Halloween. However, I’ll still look better than I have since 2001. And that, at least for myself, is what drives me to overcome fitness procrastination. Don’t expect instant results, but marvel over the achievements you’ve made so far.

Michael Brockbank

Michael is a work at home father who has completed a wide assortment of writing regarding various topics. Currently, he is working to achieve a weight loss goal and improve health in order to cross the state of Colorado on bicycle.